Mandarin owners???

[chickensioux]

Can any mandarin owners tell me what they are like? I am getting a pair in Oct. and I've read everything I can find but haven't found anything about their personalities.
What are they like?

 

[geosheets]

Quote:
My experience with mandarins is they are not like other ducks. They are very skittish and try like heck to avoid you... more than any other duck I have. I have mine in a pen right off my patio so they are used to seeing us. As long as we are on the outside of the pen they go about their business... catching bugs, playing in the water, primping themselves, sleeping on their perches, etc. Once I enter the pen they all go the the other side. If I make any quick moves or loud noises they don't like, they all freak out and start flying everywhere. I raised 5 of mine from day one and I tried like heck to keep them tame... by 3 weeks they were jumping out of the brooder to get away from me when I reached in. Anyways, you probably didn't find anything about their personalities because they aren't very tame. IMO, they're kind of like a pretty yard ornament that needs fed and cleaned up after. Well worth it though, they are gorgeous. I assume you know they are avid flyers and do need a covered pen. I have no doubt that if one of mine got out it would fly off into the sunset and I'd never see it again.

 

[Feathered Wings]

I "had" a trio i bought and they were beautiful but i couldn't handle how skittish they were.
They were okay till i approached them to feed them then the entire time they were flying into the wire or running around.
One of the hens got a bad cut on her head from flying into the wire repeatedly on the pen.
No matter how softly i spoke or how slowly i moved they were just as fearful.
I sold them because it made me sad how much they seemed to fear me i felt like i had caged a wild animal

I love ducks i have 14 Call Ducks but the mandarins are just a different kind of duck when it comes to personality.

 

[chickensioux]

Wow, no wonder they don't write about their personalities. My routine with my calls and others is: they are in their pen most of the day and then in the afternoon I let all the ducks run my fenced-in back yard so they can forage and swim. At dusk, I herd them pack into their pens and then everyone is locked up tight in their houses at night. Am I dreaming that I will be able to get the mandarins to follow the procedure after a while? The mandarins are pinioned so they won't fly away buy are they going to be so skittish forever that this routine won't work?

 

[Feathered Wings]

Just something i left out i thought i would add since i saw you would be letting them out.
The male flew out of the pen when i opened the door to feed them it was so quick i didn't have time to react.
He just hit the ground and quickly walked away to the woods i ran after him but he was gone.
I searched for 3 hours and never found him.

I didn't mention that in my post because it bothered me so much and i felt so bad that i let him escape and couldn't find him.

Maybe if i had raised them from baby's they would have been more attached.

 

[chickensioux]

Just looked at Acorn Hollow Bantams website, there is a pic of a guy sitting with mandarins all over him. This gives me hope. Talked to the breeder as well and he says with time and patience they can be calmed and tamed. He has a friend that walks one of his on a leash with a harness. This makes me feel better and not so worried. I have time and patience, I will prevail!!!!

 

[rainplace]

My son was talking to a breeder and mentioned that he wanted Mandarins and Wood Ducks. The breeder told him that Mandarins are pretty much domesticated, and after time will accept the presence of the people keeping them. But that he always felt bad about wood ducks in captivity because he's never seen any wood duck who was anything other than down right afraid of their keepers.

He also pleaded with my son not to keep them caged, but to build a nice sized aviary for them with lots of perches at different heights. Of course my son is only 11... mandarins are not in our near future.

So it appears that you may have luck with the Mandarins.

When you get them, let us know!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I have a pair of Mandarins. When I first brought them home back in June they were extremely flighty! It has taken these last couple months for them to adjust. In the beginning they'd freak out every time I came into their pen to feed/water or even if we just walked passed them.

The first week they stayed in their little house where we couldn't even see them! If they were out, and saw us coming, they'd run and hide in their little house.

Now they are a bit calmer, although we can't hold or pet them. They are used to us coming in to feed/water them, and they don't panic everytime we walk by their pen.

 

[geosheets]

Quote:
I bet they will follow the other ducks... mine are really interested in the ducks outside of their pen. Mine are full winged so they don't leave their pen. They will get used to you after a while but they won't typically let you near them unless it's on their terms. Mine will sometimes walk up to me and investigate when I'm cleaning the pond in their pen. If I try to slowly reach for one, it will back away. I hope you have good luck with letting them roam with the others and keep us posted. If it works out for you, I may pinion some next time and let them roam the yard.

 

[chickensioux]

Thanks for all the replies. This is the pic I was talking about. If I get to this point great. All I want is for them not to totally panic when I enter the enclosure. At first I thought it just couldn't be done but now I see with time and effort, it can. Thanks again.